Serenading the director
The Rev. Derrick Roberts, 64, who is a founder and the director of the Toledo Interfaith Mass Choir, will get to listen when “God Gave Me a Song,” a celebration in his honor, is presented at 5 p.m. Sunday at St. James “The Armory” Church, 3319 Nebraska Ave. He is also the chairman of the board of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses.
A citywide mass choir, composed of people who have been involved with the Rev. Roberts’ music ministry, will sing under the direction of Brian K. Thomas. The Rev. Roberts has been involved in the music programs of several area churches.
The Rev. Roberts is a retired principal in the Toledo Public School system who was ordained into the ministry in 2014 at Indiana Avenue Missionary Baptist Church, where his father, the Rev. John Roberts, is pastor. He received an honorary doctorate from Eastern Theological Seminary, Lynchburg, Va., in 2011.
There is no charge for admission to the concert, but a freewill offering will be collected.
Living ‘Laudato Si’
Catholic Charities Diocese of Toledo’s Laudato Si Task Force, along with 20 community organizations, will present a free conference on living according to the principles of Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment and human relations, from 1 to 5 p.m. today in the auditorium of Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral, 2535 Collingwood Blvd.
Bishop Daniel Thomas will give his reflections, Sylvania Franciscan Sister Sharon Havelak will give the keynote address, and among the sessions with community conservation representatives will be “Why God Created the Monarch Butterfly” and “Living Laudato Si in Our Schools.” Bishop Thomas will also preside at a 5 p.m. Vigil Mass.
Five ordinations
The United Church of God will have an ordination service for five people at 4 p.m. today at the church, 701 Phillips Ave. Frances Benford, Erma Blakely, Andrea N. Lesley, Jessie Lumpkin, and Jacqueline Robinson will receive sacred charges in the church pastored by the Rev. Dewayne Braxton.
A reception will follow.
Faith at Fulton fair
The Craguns and Carrollton are the headliners at the Eunice Tedrow Gospel Building for the 2016 Fulton County Fair.
The Craguns, a newly formed group made up of a husband, a wife, the husband’s father, and a cousin, will play for a worship service at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 4. Jordan Cragun, the husband, is a former member of the Liberty Quartet.
Carrollton will perform Sept. 4 at 5 p.m. Carrollton is named after the musicians’ hometown, Carrollton, Ohio, between Cincinnati and Louisville; their second album, Sunlight and Shadows, will be released in the fall.
Bishop Daniel Thomas will preside at a Catholic Mass there at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
During the fair, several churches will have performers, and individuals are also on the roster. For a schedule and more information, go to fccmm.org.
Saintly Mother Teresa
The canonization day for Mother Teresa is Sept. 4, and the Diocese of Toledo’s Office of Multicultural Ministries and Lourdes University will join in celebrating with “Let Your Light Shine” from 2 to 5 p.m. Sept. 4 at Lourdes’ Franciscan Center, 6832 Convent Blvd., Sylvania. A “prayer moment” will take place from 2 to 2:45 p.m., then from 3 to 5, Indian culture will be the theme with food, dance, and other activities in honor of the new saint who established the Missionaries of Charity in India. Bishop Daniel Thomas and representatives of other faith traditions, including the Islamic Society of Northwest Ohio will take part in the programs.
Contact TK Barger at tkbarger@theblade.com, 419-724-6278 or on Twitter @TK_Barger.
First Published August 27, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
